On Borrowed Time
by engineergirl86
Summary: or What if the zombie apocalypse occurred during All in Good Time? An alternate ending to All in Good Time. Bethyl.
1. Chapter 1

**Yep, you read the summary correctly. This is a ZA alternate ending to All in Good Time. It picks up immediately upon the conclusion of Chapter 6: October, which ended Halloween night. I highly recommend that you read the first 6 chapters of All in Good Time before you pick up with this fic. If you don't want to do that or you need a refresher, you can go to my profile bio for the spark notes, just scroll down to On Borrowed Time under TWD. Daryl's house plan view drawing link is also there.**

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><p>-oOo-<p>

**On Borrowed Time**

_Chapter 1_

-oOo-

"_Into the nothing, faded and weary, I won't leave and let you fall behind. Live for the dying. Heaven hear me. I know we can make it out alive. Leave me at the bottom; I am lost forever. Letters from the dead say goodbye. Sorrow falls upon us. This will be the last time. Days begin to end, but I'll get by. Follow the hopeless, and shut your eyes . . ."_

_-Breaking Benjamin _"Into the Nothing"

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><p>Beth didn't smile, "Jeremy you're gonna get sick sweetie. You can't eat that much candy all at once, it'll hurt your tummy. Let's put it away for-"<p>

"Shhh!" Daryl cut her off, holding up a hand to indicate the need for quiet. She stopped and looked at him quizzically.

"Somebody's in my damn yard." He walked over to where his crossbow was hooked securely to the wall above Jeremy's reach and took it down.

"Daryl, what are you doin'? It's Halloween, it's just kids trick or treating." She reached for the small bowl of candy she had set on the TV stand for them to pass out after they got back home.

"I don't really get trick-r-treaters this far out."

"Well there is a first time for everything," Beth smiled and walked past him towards the door. "Put the crossbow up Daryl, you'll scare the poor things to death." She opened the door wanting to be ready when the kids arrived to it. Daryl walked up behind her. Spread across the yard were five adults limping around and groaning, clearly trying to portray some sort of undead people. Zombies. Adults dressed and acting like zombies. She glanced to Daryl wondering if he would get angry. They were all too old to be trick or treating. Maybe they were coming from one of the haunted corn mazes nearby. She wasn't sure, but as expected, Daryl stepped around her, walking toward them, clearly very angry by the way he was walking, puffed up and intimidating. She felt herself blushing; he was so sexy when he got angry. That was probably because she knew he'd never hurt her unlike Spencer who she'd feared when he was angry.

"Hey! Get the hell off my land. Y'all too old for this bullshit. This is private property!"

At hearing Daryl's words Jeremy became curious and ran up to the door to stand next to Beth, resting a hand against her leg. She bent down and picked the child up into her arms, not wanting to take the chance of him running out there in case things became less than pleasant.

When the strangers dressed as zombies kept coming, she became certain it would. She could see Daryl tensing up with anger from where she stood, and the strangers just kept walking toward him and growling.

"Somethin' wrong with yer hearin'? I said get outta my damn yard!"

At that point Daryl and the man had almost reached each other, the man lunged at Daryl as if trying to grab him and bite him. Beth watched as Daryl swung and punched the man in the side of his jaw and to her shock and disgust the jaw came disconnected from the rest of the man's head and dropped to the ground. He was knocked to the side for just a moment then he growled and started coming at Daryl again.

Beth let out a little scream of disgust and horror and clutched Jeremy closer to her chest covering his eyes with her hand, to make sure he wouldn't see. When she did, the others in the yard seemed to take notice of her and started walking in her direction. Daryl shoved the strange man he was fighting with, now lacking a jaw, away from him and ran back to her and the house, taking her by the arms as she held Jeremy.

"Take Jeremy to the bedroom and close and lock the door. Don't argue just do it."

She nodded and did as he said, seeing him grab a gun and his crossbow and go back out front, closing the door behind him. When she reached the bedroom she locked both doors and sat down on the foot of the bed, holding Jeremy close to her.

"Miss Beth, what's happening?"

"I don't know sweetie, but you don't need to worry. Uncle Daryl isn't going to let them get to us. You're safe."

She heard a gunshot ring out and felt herself cringe. It wasn't instantly after Daryl went outside, so she knew he'd at least tried to reason with them. It was like they were actually zombies. What was happening? She was half tempted to go to the TV in the other room and turn on the news, but she settled for the radio on the nightstand, not wanting to upset Daryl. He sent them in here to keep them safe, and she wasn't about to jeopardize Jeremy's safety just to check the evening news.

So far nothing useful was on the radio, just classic songs played on Halloween, but she knew it would be soon, judging by the sound of gunshots in the front yard. How many now? Eight? Nine?

"Is Uncle Daryl gonna be okay?" the little boy asked.

"He will be sweetie, he's strong, and he can take care of himself."

"Are they monsters?"

"I don't know what they are. I'm gonna take a peek out the window and see what's going on." Beth got up and went to the window, looking out between the blinds. There were more of them now, and Daryl seemed to have switched to his crossbow. She stepped back, praying that this would come to an end, that it was all just a horrible dream. Just as she stepped away, she heard someone calling Daryl's name, so she went back to the window and peered out. Running down the road was Rick Grimes followed closely by Lori carrying baby Judith and at her side was their young son Carl. Rick was yelling for Daryl.

"The hell is goin' on?" Daryl yelled back as Rick turned and shot two of the undead that were getting too close to his family.

"I don't have a damn clue. We just gotta get the hell out, whole town's overrun."

That was when Beth heard the back door bust open and the sound of growling from within the house. Jeremy started crying and she quickly pulled him close and hugged him and started singing the first song that came to her mind to soothe him.

Beth gasped when she heard the hands clawing at the back door to the bedroom, and Jeremy started crying more.

"Shhh, shhh," she wondered what she should do. Make a break for it out the other door connected to the living room or just sit tight? Then she heard clawing at the other door too and she knew that wasn't an option anymore, quickly she made her way to the window and pulled it open, providing an escape route.

"Daryl!" she yelled just as one of the doors started to give way. The hunter heard her and immediately began running to the window.

"Daryl they're getting through the doors!" Daryl shot one close to the window and came up and reached to take Jeremy down from her and sat him on the ground, then they both heard the door bust open.

"Come on," he beckoned and she leaned out so he could reach her and he pulled her out of the window and down to the ground.

"You okay?"

She nodded quickly and picked up Jeremy, then they ran back to Rick's family. Beth ran to Lori who was holding her baby, with her young son clinging to her shirt tail. Beth took Lori's hand tightly in her own rather for her comfort or that of her friend she couldn't say. Daryl and Rick were keeping them knocked back as best as they could.

"We gotta go!" Rick called.

"Ain't leavin' without more guns. Need to get inside an' get em."

Daryl and Rick backed toward Beth, Lori, and the children, and Daryl reached in his pocket pulling out his truck keys. He handed them to Beth.

"Get in the truck. I'm gonna load the bike, too."

Rick nodded. "Then we go in and get guns."

The group quickly made their way towards the truck. Beth climbed in the driver's seat with Jeremy while Lori and her children got in the passenger's seat. Rick grabbed the ramp Daryl pointed to and positioned it so Daryl could load his bike in the back. It didn't take long for that to be accomplished and then Daryl and Rick went in to get the extra guns and knives. Judging from the sounds coming from the house they had to use them to get back out. When Beth could finally see them she felt a wave of relief.

"Miss Beth I'm scared."

"Me too sweetie." She hugged the child close.

Rick and Daryl dropped the guns into the back of the truck and loaded the ramp in, too. They had to take out a few more of the monsters on their way to the front of the truck. Rick arrived first jumping in the passenger side, sharing the seat with Carl. Lori sat in the middle and Beth was in the driver's seat so they all had to slide over and squeeze to let Daryl get in. Beth wound up mostly sitting in his lap, or at least on his right leg, and Carl seemed to have shifted to where he was sitting half on each of his parent's legs.

Daryl fired the truck up and pulled out, dodging the walking corpses.

It was a moment before anyone said anything, and strangely enough, the first one to speak was Daryl. He looked over at Rick.

"So you ain't got a damn clue what the hell just happened?" He asked Rick.

"I seen some of it happen, was downtown, Rosita's passin' out candy at the Diner. Carl was trick or treatin' there when one of these things came 'round the corner and bit some woman that had a kid with her. Then another one came 'round an' got the kid. Told 'em to stop, that I'm a cop, but they didn't, so I shot 'em, then a helluva lot more started comin'. It was down Spring Street, like they was comin' from the north. It was eight or ten of 'em. We were all tryin' to talk some sense into 'em, kept attackin' people, though. I didn't have no choice. Abe helped me. He was there with Rosita, and Eugene was there, too. The two of 'em got the woman and kid inside, but the woman had been bit really deep, big open gash. She died real quick Rosita said, while me an' Abe tried to get the others to safety, and shoot these things, whatever they are. Thing is, when that woman died she turned into one of them. Jumped up and attacked an old man who was tryin' to help her boy. She bit him, and Rosita shot 'er. 'S a good thing she had a gun; Abe had 'er to get a concealed carry awhile back. Me, Abe, Lori and the kids hurried back over at the gunshot. Then, a hell of a lot more of 'em started comin' on. Got separated from Abe, Rosita, and Eugene, wanted to try an' help more people, but I had to get my family out. We were bein' chased, ran south. We'd get far enough ahead to slow down and walk for a while then they'd catch up. That's when I seen you."

Beth was glad to know what happened, but she wished they could have talked later, when little ears weren't listening. No one said anything for a few minutes, Jeremy just cried softly in her arms and she rubbed his back.

"So where to?" Daryl asked Rick.

"What about Mamma and Daddy? Are they safe?" Jeremy asked.

Rick looked at Daryl. "I'd say Merle's safe in a prison. Ain't like we can just go get him. Where's his mom?"

"She's in Atlanta at a rehab center."

"Maggie and Glenn are in Atlanta, too," Beth added. "Maybe it's safe there. Surely this is somethin' that would make the news. Something has to be done."

"Musta originated around here somewhere," Rick added. "Maybe somewhere north of town."

Daryl turned the radio on and they were able to pick up the end of a news story.

" _. . . Smithville, Georgia. The National Guard has been called in and will be containing the outbreak. Please remain calm and stay in your homes with the doors locked. Do not attempt to approach an infected person. Side effects of this virus include extreme aggression. There are some reports that effects are post mortem, but this is credited to the state of panic residents of the area seem to be in. Again, the best thing you can do is stay inside with your doors locked. The National Guard will be arriving soon to settle the issue in the near future. Do not panic. It is essential that we all remain calm. The infected are to be quarantined."_

"Sounds like this did start out around here," Daryl commented.

"And it seems like they are wrong, I think it's post mortem. Rosita said that woman died before she changed," Rick added.

"Ain't normal, how they kept comin' after I shot em in the chest. Live people don't do that shit," Daryl said.

"So where are we gonna go?" Lori asked.

"Could always go up north of town and see if we can find the source of this shit and kill it," Rick said.

"Or it could infect you and the children we have with us," Lori countered.

"What about Abe an' them?" Daryl asked. "Think they got out downtown, should we go back an' see if we can help people?"

"Probly ain't much but these _walkers_ left," Rick shook his head. "I doubt it's cleared out by now. I'd bet money Abe, Rosita and Eugene cleared out. They can take care of themselves, well, except for Eugene."

"So we go to Atlanta, try and find Maggie, Glenn and Linda," Lori said.

"I hate to leave knowing my kids are all still here," Beth said. "What if they need help? I don't want to just abandon them."

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><p><strong>AN: So, where will they go? YOU decide. Leave a review, send me a PM, message me on Tumblr (link on my profile bio), or you can vote in my poll (also on my profile bio). **

**The options:**

**Atlanta! Duh, that's what they do in cannon and apparently it hasn't been touched yet here. Plus Gleggie and Linda are there!**

**North of Smithville! Let's do some detective work, after all Rick's a sheriff and according to Zack, Daryl was a homicide cop at some point. Bring on Detective Dixon!**

**Stay in town! Look for Abe, Rosita, and Eugene. Beth's right, they can't run off and leave her kids and their friends. **

**Efffffff all of this! Go bust Merle out of prison! **

**Your decision! Seriously I will write whichever one of these story lines gets the most votes. **

**Ok silliness aside, I hope you liked this first chapter of the alt. ending. The story itself will be serious, I just like having fun. On a similar note my posting this does not mean I won't update All in Good Time. I will be doing both as my muse allows. I'm struggling with Daryl's POV chapter as usual, but I will post it soon dears. This fic is just an alternate way things could have gone. It will be Bethyl, too! I just thought it would be fun to see what would happen if the ZA randomly occurred in All in Good Time, and my muse begged me to write this during lunch break, so I did. I bet y'all are wishing I would just write All in Good Time during lunch break, but this is significantly shorter than an AIGT chapter, I may just do short chapters for this fic since it won't be by month. Anyways, I don't always have the opportunity to write like this during lunch break, and I still had to get home and edit it before posting, but I will try to do more updating. Unfortunately that probably won't be this weekend (hides under table). Sorry my social life decided to take an upswing, and I'm seeing one of my best friends in the world tomorrow that I haven't seen since August because we are both so busy and then I'm seeing another one of my best friends Saturday and Sunday. Both of these ladies were my bridesmaids and I've only seen them twice each since my wedding (June 28****th****) because we live in different parts of the state after college. Needless to say I am very excited! Anyways, I will still make an effort to write. Maybe I can during lunch break tomorrow.**

**I know it probably seems like Rick and Daryl are best friends the way this came out, but they aren't yet. They know each other because it's a small town, but they aren't close. Rick is familiar with Daryl because of Merle, but he knows Daryl isn't as much of an ignorant jerk as Merle.**

**Pretty please let me know what you thought of this and vote vote vote! I'm thinking of doing a poll for each chapter. I also promise lots of Bethyl moments in the near future (remember they haven't kissed yet because this is in lieu of AIGT chapter 7). And gah, I just broke my promise to write shorter A/Ns.**

*****NOTE: Update Jan 13, 2015*** Voting is now closed and I will begin writing chapter 2 today. You will have the opportunity to vote on something else at the end of chapter 2. Thank you.**

**Until next time!**

**engineergirl86**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I got a huge amount of positive feedback on this little baby. I'm pretty excited about it. Those of you who follow me on Tumblr know which option from the question at the end chapter 1 ended up winning. I'm not gonna say in the A/N here. You'll just have to read and find out if you don't already know ;) Also this story will be told in Beth's POV for the vast majority of chapters, but some (such as Ch. 3) will be in Daryl's. **

**Several of you mentioned that you think they should go to the farm instead, and let me just say: you are fantastic. They WILL be going to the farm afterwards. I didn't include that as a choice because they'll end up there regardless of what 'road' they take. Also, they will be joining up with other well-known characters depending on where they go. **

**Atlanta yields Maggie, Glenn, and Linda**

**Going to investigate yields Dale, Jim, T-Dog, Andrea, Amy and Jacqui **

**Staying yields Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, Bob, Sasha, Karen and Ty**

**Busting Merle out yields Merle, Oscar, and Axel**

**So, we'll see what y'all chose, and the above are just the immediate additions. There are quite a few names missing above that you can bet on seeing as well. More will come along the way that I don't want to spoil, and those from the options not selected will come back around for other situations and may be added to the group. I think this is going to be very fun and I'm excited about it. I did consider posting this character list in the last chapter, but I knew it would sway the opinions, and I didn't want that to happen. So with no further ado, here you go:**

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><p>-oOo-<p>

**On Borrowed Time**

_Chapter 2_

-oOo-

"_White walls surround us. No light will touch your face again. Rain taps the window as we sleep among the dead. Days go on forever, but I have not left your side. We can chase the dark together. If you go then so will I. . ."_

_-Breaking Benjamin _"Anthem of the Angels"

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><p>"Beth, I know you don't wanna leave 'em," Rick said, but we ain't got a way to protect that many preschoolers. I know y'all ain't seen the town, but trust me. It's bad. People ain't gonna be showin' up tomorrow at Cradles to Crayons wonderin' where you and Lori are. They're either dead or cleared out. All them kids together, it ain't gonna be safe. They're better off each with their parents. I promise ain't nobody gonna show up tomorrow lookin' for you 'n' Lori or askin' for your help. And Daryl, it's the same with Abe an' them. They're out of there by now. There ain't nothin' t' stay for anymore. Now, Lori's right. We can't go lookin' around t' figure this out with the kids. Thinkin' our best bet is t' do what everyone else is; get outa Dodge."<p>

"So, Atlanta," Daryl said, making a turn that would bring him closer to I-85.

"We'll get Mamma?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes," Beth said, "and my sister and Glenn."

"What about Daddy?" Jeremy asked.

"Rick's right," Daryl said, "Merle's safe behind them prison walls. He's one tough sonovabitch, too. He'll be alright if shit gets bad."

That seemed to settle it for everyone, and Daryl merged onto I-85 in the unusually heavy traffic for Atlanta. It took a bit longer than normal, but Beth was glad they'd gotten out when it was still early on in the outbreak. If they'd waited much longer traffic would have been so thick, they'd be moving at a crawl. Atlanta was notably busier than normal, with panicked broadcasts coming over the radio. Groceries and gas stations were packed out with people buying supplies after hearing what was occurring to the west of town. They were clearly preparing to lock themselves in their homes or take their supplies and possessions and leave the city all together.

Beth dialed Maggie's number on her cell, the plan being to find her sister and Glenn first then see what they could do about getting Linda out. Maggie was probably clueless as to what was going on, she never watched the news, too busy with her medical internship and spending time with Glenn. In fact she and Glenn were probably just now getting back from the Halloween party they'd planned to attend. That would explain why she'd not been answering her texts for the duration of the drive to Atlanta. Beth wasn't overly concerned yet as she listened to the fifth ring on Maggie's phone. None of the reports said anything about it reaching Atlanta yet, but it wasn't that far. They'd made it here in an hour. Finally after the sixth ring, Maggie answered.

"_Bethy?" _

"Maggie where are you?" The background was loud.

"_At the party I told you about," _her voice came through a bit clearer in an increasingly quiet background,_ "I just stepped outside, what's up? Is everything okay?" _She must have picked up on the worried tone in Beth's voice.

"You need to meet us Maggie, something . . . strange is happening. There is some kind of outbreak. Like these dead people attacked us."

"_Beth honey, have you been drinkin'? I thought you didn't do that. Sweetie, just get someone to drive you home and go to bed. Everythin's fine. It's Halloween; lots of people are dressed up like dead people."_

"Maggie. I'm not drunk. I'm serious! Something is going on! You need to get back to your apartment. I'm here in Atlanta with some friends. We're going to your apartment. Get there. This is bad, really bad Maggie, I'm not playin'."

"_Alright, we'll get a cab, but I promise everything is fine. You're probably just still experiencing shock after Spencer. I'm on my way. Let me grab Glenn. He's in there listening for the results of the costume contest."_

"Okay, hurry Maggie! It's bad. I don't want y'all stuck out there."

Beth pressed the end call button and sighed. "They're at a Halloween party. She has no idea. I knew she wouldn't. They don't watch the news at all."

"Alrigh', let's just get to the apartment. Which way?" Daryl asked and Beth directed him the rest of the way. Jeremy had fallen asleep in her arms on the way up, the smooth interstate ride lulling him to sleep after his terror brought on exhaustion. Little Judith had fallen asleep too, but Carl was wide eyed and alert, dressed still in his very detailed Sherriff Halloween costume. Little Judith was still dressed as a cat. She had a fuzzy warm white blanket sleeper on with a little fuzzy tail and ears on the hood. Her gloves and booties were the same soft white material with pink cat claws painted on, but they were the farthest thing from fearsome. Beth was relieved that she'd changed out of her costume, but poor Jeremy was still in his Firefighter one. Thankfully the children's costumes, being designed for children, were easy to move about in, warm, and comfortable.

-o-oOo-o-

Beth and the others reached the apartment complex, and Daryl pulled into the parking garage below the building after Beth gave him her access card to swipe. They found a place to park, and Daryl slid out from under Beth, all of them having been crammed into the truck. She instantly missed the closeness to him, but climbed out to lead the way towards the stairs carrying a sleeping Jeremy. Rick and Daryl gathered the guns from the back of the truck; Beth knew he wasn't about to leave that many expensive and now essential weapons out here for anyone to take at a whim.

They hurried up to Maggie's apartment on the third floor, and Beth unlocked the door with her spare key and let everyone in. The first thing she did was turn on the news. Sure enough, the anchorman on the news station was rambling on about western Georgia's outbreak. It had spread since she'd heard last on the radio, and there were also reports that the National Guard was beginning to arrive. She glanced up at Daryl who was watching intently with a frown.

Lori sat on Maggie's couch, still holding Judith, and Beth laid Jeremy down next to her, the child still asleep. Carl stood near his mom, Rick paced, and Daryl scowled at the TV as they watched the news reports. Not two minutes later Beth heard the door unlock and Maggie hurried in with Glenn at her heels.

"Bethy!" Maggie said as she pulled her sister into a hug. Maggie and Glenn were dressed in very serious futuristic costumes.

"What are y'all supposed to be?" Beth giggled, allowing a moment for warm reunions.

"We're Commander Shepard and Miranda from Mass Effect," Glenn beamed at her.

Beth giggled, "I have no idea what that is."

Glenn just looked wounded, and Maggie laughed a little. "You would if you were into gaming." Beth glanced over at Daryl who was eyeing her sister and future brother in law as if they were the most bizarre thing he'd ever laid eyes on. She was pretty sure Daryl had no idea what they were talking about either, and probably thought they were stupid.

Maggie turned and saw Lori and hurried to her as the other woman stood. "Good to see you again, Maggie," Lori said softly, so not to wake the sleeping children as she hugged her.

"You too Lori. It's been too long."

"Beth, we heard on the radio in the cab ride over, what is going on, what is this?"

"I don't know. It's like the dead are walkin'. I was at Daryl's house and they just came up in the yard and they attacked him, and they wouldn't stop, so he had to shoot them. They were comin' in the house, and Rick and Lori were running from town. They eat people Maggie. These things. . ."

"If they bite you, and you don't die from blood loss or being eaten, you die and turn into one," Rick said solemnly. Maggie and Glenn looked horrified and Glenn just shook his head.

"There's no way. If you're dead . . . you don't . . ."

"It ain't natural," Lori added. "I don't know what it is but, it ain't nothin' like other diseases."

"Our whole town was overrun with them Maggie. It's spreading like wildfire and its coming this way. They just got done saying the National Guard is there trying to quarantine and they are coming to Atlanta, too, trying to set up some order and keep everyone calm."

Maggie and Glenn were both just quiet for a minute, looking stunned and terrified.

"This is the kind of thing that happens in movies," Glenn finally said.

Maggie just hugged Beth again. "I'm glad yall made it out Bethy. Hopefully they can contain it and get things back to normal.

"Maggie we've got to get Jeremy's mom. She's at the rehab center near your work." Maggie had an internship at an obstetrician's office near the hospital, taking a break from studying to become an obstetrician herself, to get some experience.

"We best get movin' too, 'fore shit gets too crazy," Daryl spoke for the first time since Maggie and Glenn arrived.

"This is Daryl and Rick," she said gesturing to each of the men as she spoke. Maggie already knew Lori from the shopping trips the girls had taken together.

"Carl and Judith as you know are Rick and Lori's kids and that sweet little boy sleeping on the couch is Jeremy that you've heard so much about."

"I've heard a lot about Daryl too," Maggie quipped, and Beth shot her a desperate look, pleading with her to hush.

Daryl just glanced away. "We best get goin', those that's comin" he said again.

"I'll go," Glenn said quickly, "I know the city best, how to get there and get back quickly."

"Then I'm goin', too" Maggie said.

"Me too," Beth wasn't afraid and she wanted to help get Jeremy' mother back to him.

"No, you're stayin' here," Daryl's response was instant.

"I can help Daryl. I'm not afraid."

"I know ya ain't; he needs somebody here when he wakes up, though."

She nodded, supposing he was right. "Okay. Y'all be safe."

Maggie, Glenn, and Daryl headed towards the door, Daryl grabbing a few weapons for them. As he reached the door he looked back to Rick, giving him a look the other man seemed to understand instantly.

"I'll look out for 'em," Rick promised.

Daryl nodded and headed out the door, and Beth locked it back behind them. Looking out the window she could see the panic. There'd been no reports of people coming down with this condition in Atlanta, but Beth was quite certain it would only be a matter of time, judging by how quickly it had spread. Daryl's truck was visible, pulling out of the parking garage and heading the direction Beth assumed the rehab center to be. Rick spoke, breaking the silence for the first time since the departure of half the adult population of their group.

"Just don't make any sense," he said, not to anyone in particular, just to whomever was listening. "How can someone who's dead just, get up, and try t' eat people. I just keep thinkin' I'm gonna wake up and it's all a bad dream."

"Me too," Lori agreed, holding Judith close and protectively.

"I hope they make it okay," Beth heard herself say.

"Beth," Rick said, "if there is one thing I know about Dixons, they're tough. Daryl 'll be fine, and so will your sister and Glenn."

-o-oOo-o-

After what felt like an eternity Beth finally saw Daryl's truck again. More and more cars had packed into the city streets heading east, and Beth wondered if they should be going too. But she knew for as many as were leaving, there were twice as many staying and bolting their doors shut, waiting on the National Guard to take care of the problem, unwilling to leave their homes and possessions. In the time that Daryl, Glenn, and Maggie had been gone she'd witnessed five green helicopters going by headed west. Knowing that they had already arrived on scene near Smithville, as told by the news reports, she knew that these were either going to relieve or reinforce those already on site or work on setting up a roadblock into the city to protect against infected entering.

She heard the sound of a key turning in the door and turned to see Maggie, Glenn, Daryl, and Linda enter. She ran and hugged Daryl first and then Maggie and Glenn together, and finally Linda.

"Are you okay?" she asked Jeremy's mother.

"Yes, they were letting us out because of all of this and the state of disaster that's been declared. I didn't have a car so I was just going to stay there. It was safe so far. I was so worried about my baby though. I can't even tell you how much I panicked."

Beth hugged her again. "He's asleep on the couch. Daryl kept us safe. It's gonna be okay," Beth soothed. Linda wiped her tears and hurried to the couch to sit next to Jeremy and softly run her fingers over his hair, just happy to be reunited with him and know he was safe. Beth met Daryl's eyes and walked over toward him.

"It was a good thing you did, going to get her. She and Jeremy need to be together right now."

Daryl's response was a grunt, but his eyes were intense, as he seemed to study her, rather than simply look at her. Daryl Dixon was so hard to understand, and she'd had to teach herself how to read him, little as he talked. But what she was certain of was that she had absolutely fallen for him. Despite what he seemed to think, he was a very good man.

-o-oOo-o-

Not an hour later it was decided that everyone needed to get some rest so they could all be ready for whatever came tomorrow. Maggie and Glenn's apartment had a small living room, a small kitchen, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Beth usually stayed in the spare bedroom when she spent the night on rare occasion, but it was agreed that Rick and Lori and their family should get that room. Maggie and Glenn would stay in their room; Linda would get the couch and Jeremy the adjacent recliner. This left Beth and Daryl to each find a spot in the floor of the living room. Blankets were also in short supply due to the number of people occupying the apartment suddenly increasing by five hundred percent. Daryl elected to sleep by the door and declined the need for a blanket. Beth took one, having wanted to take two, but not wanting to be selfish. She went to the side of the living room opposite Daryl and wrapped the blanket around herself and lay down, watching as everyone went to their respective sleeping areas. Jeremy fell back asleep in no time and Linda seemed to fall asleep quickly too. Beth could see both of them easily from where she lay, and she knew Daryl was lying near the door, but the couch blocked her view of him. She wondered if he was asleep, probably so. Daryl Dixon wasn't one to let things get to him, even something as insane as this. He was probably sleeping just as soundly as Jeremy. It wasn't that Beth was too scared to sleep, sure she was scared, but she felt safe at the moment. Just the attempt of grasping all the day's events was what was keeping her up; she couldn't seem to shut her brain off. It was getting fairly cold, increasing the difficulty of falling asleep, too, as night dragged on, and she wasn't sure why. Obviously in the fall it got colder at night, but Maggie and Glenn's heater had been on before they went to bed so that should have taken care of the problem. They'd even turned it up a bit in thought for those sleeping on the cold floor. Beth told herself she was just being a wimp, and tried to command her body to relax and stop shivering. She wrapped her sweater jacket and the blanket more tightly around her. Her little yellow tank was still doing absolutely nothing to help her. The thing was so thin and flimsy, it did nothing to provide additional warmth. All it had done was embarrass her when Jeremy accidentally pulled it down, giving Daryl a generous view of her bra that was fairly see-through. She'd wanted to dress pretty for Daryl, hoping maybe he'd take notice of her, so when they got back from the trick or treating trip, she spent fifteen minutes in the bathroom changing into something cute and hopefully a little sexy and she'd put on more make-up, not enough to look ridiculous, just enough to make her eyes a little more sultry and her lips a little more full. She fixed her hair so it was down in soft waves. The little yellow tank was clingy and fit her closely, showing her curves. Her jeans had a few holes in them, but like the shirt they were very fitted, and she happened to think they made her butt look good, and hopefully Daryl would, too. Her brown cowboy boots, a thick brown belt, hoop earrings, a heart shaped charm necklace, and a soft tan knit sweater jacket that hang open in the front completed the look. And she'd sprayed a little more perfume. Daryl had even stared at her as she walked into the living room, and then her teacher-caretaker mode switch got turned on when she saw Jeremy eating what had to be his twentieth piece of candy, and it had all gone downhill from there. She'd felt like such an attention whore and was so humiliated when Daryl saw her bra; she just had to get out, but he had gone after her, and that did more good for her than anything. His words had been reassuring, too. He didn't think ill of her despite her continuous failed attempts to get his attention. She just couldn't understand it. It seemed he wanted this as badly as she did, but he just kept holding back. So at times, she felt like she was acting desperate when she kept trying, but she would remember the looks he gave her, and the way he would touch her. He had feelings for her, too. She just knew it, so she had to keep trying to break through his shell, figure out what it was that held him back.

No matter how many times she worked through the events of the day, she wasn't able to grasp it, or fully believe it. It had to be a dream, but everything felt so real. After all she was freezing, and she could definitely _feel _that, and that was something that didn't happen in dreams. And there it was, her mind was back on the cold. Maybe she should just get up and check the thermostat and see about turning it up a bit. As she stood, she wrapped her blanket around her to keep up the little warmth she'd manage to cling to within the blanket. Reaching the thermostat, she realized that it was blank. Did that mean the electricity was out and therefore the heater as well? Why would the electricity be out? Unless something bad happened in town, Beth glanced around at the digital clock plugged in by the TV, blank as well. The cable box and DVD player had no lights or numbers on them either. She made her way over to the window and peeked through the blinds. The surrounding city was almost completely dark, with the exception of some emergency lights on backup generators and the car headlights below. Off in the distance she thought she could see some buildings lit up, so it must just be a portion of the grid that was down, but her electrical knowledge was about the same as her mechanical knowledge, next to none.

She was shivering just thinking about how cold it was going to get. She wrapped her blanket tighter around her.

"Beth," she heard Daryl whisper from across the room. She made her way to him as he sat up.

"The electricity is out, I think."

He nodded as if it didn't surprise him.

"You okay?"

"Freezing, but I'm sure you are too," she sat down next to him, sitting on her legs to keep the warmth in.

"Nah," he responded as he took his leather jacket and vest off, and wrapped them around her shoulders.

"You'll freeze Daryl."

"Cold ain't really somethin' that bothers me too much. Ain't that cold yet anyways."

The way he said _yet_ scared her. He laid back down, lifting a muscled arm up to rest his head on. She wanted nothing more than to lay there with him, surrounded in his embrace, but she didn't allow herself to do something stupid, she just kept her position sitting near him.

"Can't sleep?" she asked.

"Nah, can't quiet my mind, too much t' think 'bout."

"Me too, and the cold, but this should help," she nodded towards his jacket wrapped around her, "thank you."

"Ain't nothin'."

She allowed herself to lay down close to him. Not next to him, but probably three feet away. That felt appropriate enough. His jacket was really warm, mostly still from his body heat and the thought made her grin and blush. At that moment she was thankful for the dark. It held his smell, too. Like that of the woods, mixed with sweat and motor oil, and there was nothing sexier to Beth. She tried to think of when it was she'd fallen for him, and she couldn't pinpoint an exact moment, but rather it'd seemed to happen over time. Maybe even a bit, subconsciously, while she was still with Spencer. Mostly though it had been after. The way Daryl took care of her that night had been a large part of it, she couldn't doubt. The way he'd carried her, and the looks he gave her. What girl wouldn't fall for a man after something like that, especially one as good hearted as Daryl. His looks certainly didn't hurt the matter either, though Beth knew looks were far from the most important aspect. He was so rough and rugged and manly. Daryl was the essence of masculinity and the thought of it, of him, just made her ache with desire, both emotional and sexual. She felt like she needed him. So for the past month she'd tried to get him to notice her, like he had that night after Spencer hurt her. She wore more makeup and fixed her hair and dressed in ways she thought he'd like. It seemed to all be working, just not as quickly as she would have liked. He'd come so close to kissing her that night after she rubbed his back. She'd seen the opportunity to do so, and couldn't deny herself the chance. His shirt was thick but she could feel the tight muscles through it, and she'd thought she was going to melt. His muscles were so tight and cut. If he'd taken his shirt off, she probably would have lost it, so it's a good thing he didn't, though his reacting confused her even to this day when she asked him. She knew his self-esteem wasn't great, but that was twice he'd refused to take his shirt off, the first when they went swimming. It was none of her business though, and indeed it was probably best he hadn't. His bare arms were distracting enough on their own. His biceps swelled out from his arms and made her weak in the knees. His shoulders and triceps were so tight and cut, too. Beth could feel herself staring at him, so she made herself look away. Maybe one day, she wouldn't have to bear this longing anymore.

Daryl looked over at her and, feeling his gaze on her, she turned to meet his eyes in the dark room.

"I'm gonna keep you safe Beth. Ain't gonna let nothin' happen to ya."

So that was what he'd been thinking about? Her? The thought warmed her throughout. She smiled at him and reached over to grab his hand and intertwine their fingers. "I know."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Quick disclaimer. I'm sorry if my big city descriptions and writing suck. I'm in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere Southern Tennessee. We don't even have one stop light. Obviously I have been to big cities, I usually end up going to Nashville once or twice a month for some reason or the other, but I'm not intimately familiar with the layout of say . . . apartment buildings in Atlanta . . . if you catch my drift. I'm more like Daryl in Ch. 9 of All in Good Time. Screw Atlanta, there are way too many people there, not for me. Like the other day there were some chickens out in the road holding up traffic and we had to wait for them to cross. I think that's the only traffic problem they don't have in Atlanta . . . so just let me know if my big city stuff sucks. I did research apartments in Atlanta to help the situation. I didn't know if they had parking garages or lots or what . . . apparently there are some of each. I chose a parking garage for Maggie's.**

**About the Miranda and Shepard costumes, my husband (at the time boyfriend) and I **_**really**_** wanted to go to this costume contest dressed as them (we are quite nerdy), but this was like 3 years ago in college and we had like zero money, so we couldn't afford them. (We were gonna go all out and get the armor and everything). Anyways, that's why I referenced it here. Living out my dream through Maggie and Glenn (I feel like they would be an adorably nerdy couple if they were in 'the real world'). Just to finish out the story so I don't leave you hanging, we ended up going as Aphrodite and Ares (from Greek mythology) and we won the couples contest! It was pretty fantastic. We still have the trophy, it's this skeleton that's been decapitated and it's holding its head. We got it and I was like "well that's not cute." Anyways, we owned and it was pretty legit. **

**Shout out to my ladies on the Bethyl Fanfiction FB group for brainstorming with me about Maggie's career and such. . . I had no clue lol, but this is perfect, I think. **

**Okay, the moment you've all been waiting for . . . just kidding. Anyways, the question for the end of this chapter is: Would you like to see Spencer make an appearance as a villain in this story? Someone said they really liked the idea of Daryl putting a bolt through his head and this story could provide that opportunity. It won't necessarily be next chapter we see him though. Just let me know in a review, PM, Tumblr Ask, or the poll on my profile. I can't remember if I've said this before, but I'm going to have a question at the end of each chapter. Usually I will do multiple choice like Ch. 1's question. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**3 engineergirl86**


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